


The Heat Of Battle

by elephantuna



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action, Gen, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elephantuna/pseuds/elephantuna
Summary: My first submission for OP Bingo 2020, on the prompt "near-death experience. Maybe this is playing a little loose, but I think it counts. This also comes from an idea I had for a while, but I'll say more about that later. It's a story about Usopp and a battle on the Straw Hats' ship, in which our favorite sniper has to push himself to act when it counts.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26
Collections: One Piece Bingo 2020/2021





	The Heat Of Battle

The fight had been going _so well_.

Usopp was watching from the foredeck, firing into the fray. Each shot was well-placed, and more often than not felled one of the fodder clogging the _Sunny_ ’s deck, but from time to time he aimed into the one-on-one battles in progress.

Nami was missing her Clima-Tact, snatched from her hands by a self-proclaimed witch wielding what looked like a magnet on a stick -- which, against all odds, had worked. It _didn’t_ work on wood, though, and Nami had swept up a broom handle for an improvised staff and pressed the attack. Now the two were locked in combat, the staccato rhythm of their fight audible from across the deck.

The same rhythm was feeding the battle on the other side of the mast, where Brook was improvising on it, mixing stabs and slashes with swipes at his violin. Every few measures he managed to catch one of the bounty hunters with his music, and they dreamily swung into battle against his opponent -- but just as quickly, her pendant danced in front of their eyes, sending them back towards him with spiraling pupils and slack faces.

Sanji _had_ been sparring with what seemed to be the bounty hunters’ second-in-command, and taking the upper hand -- but then the woman fighting Brook had cried out for help in a _perfect_ imitation of Nami’s voice, and as Sanji turned away, his own opponent had swung his tonfa into the cook’s knee. Sanji had dropped to the deck with a crack that was still echoing inside Usopp’s head, and now Robin, who had dispatched the second-in-command as he moved in to finish Sanji off, was standing over him and fending off anyone who came too close. Franky was on her flank, picking off bounty hunters with bursts of gunfire as they tried to slash the _Sunny_ ’s sails. Chopper was at the wheel, trying to keep away from the bounty hunters’ cannons. Luffy -- Usopp cocked his head and listened, and heard the sounds of wood breaking and panicked yells from the bounty hunters’ ship -- Luffy was fine. And Zoro...

The center of the _Sunny’_ s deck was a no-man’s land. The grass gone, mowed down to the dirt. Every so often, a hapless bounty hunter would stumble or be thrown into the circle at the center and be flung out, bloodied and unmoving. Zoro was stripped to the waist, bandana tied around his head, all three swords in constant, furious motion. Opposite him was Riser, whose name was proudly emblazoned on the hunters’ sail, smiling, empty-handed, and utterly unharmed.

Usopp dropped another hollering bounty hunter headed for Nami’s back, and took stock of the situation. His crewmates were holding their own in their one-on-one fights, Sanji was still secure, and the cannon fire from the bounty hunters’ ship had faded into the distance. He looked out over the water at the distant ship and thought for a moment to ask Chopper to bring them closer, just in case they needed Luffy back on board -- but Chopper had abandoned the wheel, looking out over the deck. “I’m going to try and get to Sanji,” he said, voice shaky but certain, and as Usopp watched Chopper shifted into a reindeer, galloped across the deck, and leapt, nearly clearing the length of the deck. As he descended, he changed again, and a gorilla-sized doctor landed in the fray, swinging his fists as he pushed towards the wounded cook.

Now alone on the foredeck, Usopp looked back to the fight dominating the center of the ship. “No banter, Roronoa?” Riser was still smiling. Shusui whistled towards his face, but before it struck he deflected with an open palm, sending it off course above his head. It didn’t even leave a mark on his glove. Zoro grunted, deflecting a chop towards his neck with the flat of his blade.

“Save your breath.”

Riser laughed. “Perhaps you feel the need to, but I’m hardly in--” He ducked a swipe that nearly went through his throat -- “Any distress here, Roronoa. Shame. Perhaps your captain would be more of a challenge.”

“You’re fighting me,” snarled Zoro, and brought two swords down in an arc as Riser laughed.

“Shame,” he said again, and delivered a punch that sent Zoro flying.

Usopp’s eyes widened. A second later, Zoro hit the main mast with a thud and dropped, barely landing on his feet. From across the deck, Usopp saw his eyes go hazy for a second. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

“You long-nosed freak!”

Usopp had no more warning than that before what sounded like a small explosion annihilated the ground where he was standing. He looked down, realizing his legs had thrown him clear without any conscious effort, and then around, taking in the barrel-chested man standing behind him. He raised his fists, and Usopp’s eyes widened as he saw seven unlit bombs mounted on the man’s fingers. As he watched, the bounty hunter passed his left fist under his beard, where a lit match was braided into the hair, and swung at Usopp.

He dodged again, barely, feeling the heat of the explosion on his side. Bomb knuckles? _Bomb knuckles?_ What kind of crap was that? It sounded like something from the Usopp Factory, but the early days of the Usopp Factory, before he had any idea of what was cool and daring and what would blow your hand off. Honestly, how stupid would you have to be to use --

Usopp came back to himself and realized he had backed into a corner. The bounty hunter was advancing, both fists raised to his chin. One by one, all six of the remaining fuses ignited. The man smiled a horrible smile. “Nighty-night.” Both of his fists slammed home into Usopp’s chest.

Nothing happened.

The bounty hunter blinked, and looked down. Between Usopp’s chest and his bombs, the sniper was holding something: a small, circular, spiraling shell, marked with even holes. His eyes widened. He looked back up.

Usopp stared the bounty hunter in the face. _Say something cool,_ he thought to himself. _Come on._ He laughed nervously. “Whoops.”

Both of them screamed nearly in unison. Usopp clutched at his wrist, feeling the aftershock travel up through his shoulder with such intensity he thought it would pop from its socket. The bounty hunter took it far worse, flying backwards through the air and over the side of the _Sunny_ altogether. Slumped against the rail, Usopp massaged his wrist, flexing his fingers as he reached for Black Kabuto again. He stuffed the Impact Dial back into his pocket and pushed himself up, peering down at the battles again.

As he watched, Nami leapt backwards, dodging a wild blast of hot air from her opponent, who was now -- Usopp winced -- inexpertly wielding the Clima-Tact. Apparently Nami didn’t care for it either, as she whacked the other woman upside the head, yelling something about weather patterns Usopp could only half hear over the noise of the battle. Brook lashed out with his sword and got the hypnotist in the shoulder, and her pendant fell from her fingers -- releasing a dozen fighters from their stupor. Chaos rippled across the deck as those bounty hunters came to, unsure of where they were, and began to swing wildly, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Chopper was forced to drop to the ground, activating Guard Point and shielding Sanji with his own body. Eyes sprouted across Robin’s skin to watch every angle of approach, and Franky shed his hands’ false skin, meeting the wave of bounty hunters with fists of naked steel. Usopp watched it all happen in a matter of seconds before his eyes fell to Zoro.  
He had a horrible realization.

“Zoro!” Usopp screamed over the increasing chaos of battle. If Zoro heard him, he didn’t respond. _“Zoro!”_ Usopp screamed, and then for good measure sent a lead ball whistling past the swordsman’s ear. _That_ got his attention, a quick backwards glare before Zoro ducked under a swipe from Riser. That was all right, Usopp thought. Zoro could yell at him later. Usopp just had to make sure he survived.

“Zoro, _duck!”_

Zoro looked back and saw Usopp’s slingshot drawn back, aimed squarely at Riser -- and at himself. With a curse, he dodged another swing and rolled, leaving the bounty hunter momentarily alone in the center of the deck. It was all Usopp needed. He closed his eyes and let the projectile loose.

As if in slow motion, the ball flew through the air towards Riser. He saw it coming, smiled, and raised his hands, poised to block the projectile perfectly. Less than a foot away, it exploded into a burst of orange flame.

Riser went over backward, gloves burning. Usopp was doubled over, stomach cramping from stress, but he managed to give Zoro a thumbs up. “Dials,” he said, panting. “In his gloves.” Zoro blinked. Then he nodded evenly, respectfully, just once. Usopp sighed in relief as he turned away, back to Riser, who was straightening up, but Zoro was already in motion, swords arrayed in front of himself, and Riser was too slow to block as he sprang forth.

_“Oni Giri!”_

For a second, as Zoro touched down behind the enemy captain, there was silence. The fighting slowed as all eyes turned to Riser, dead center of the deck, reeling from the triplet slashes across his chest. Usopp smiled smugly. _Take that, you bastard! Teach you to use the great Usopp’s own trick against him._

Then the slashed fabric fell away from Riser’s chest, and Usopp saw the skin underneath: hard and reddish pink, spiraling outwards and patterned with tiny holes.

“Shame,” said Riser, shaking his head. “A true, true shame.”

And then he exploded.

Halfway across the ship, Usopp was hurled back by the force. Black Kabuto dropped from his hand, spinning away, seconds before he slammed into the _Sunny’_ s railing and blacked out. He came to a few seconds later, head spinning, blood in his mouth. The rigging was slashed to pieces, the sails hung in tatters, and deep grooves scored the lawn. Usopp, one eye cracked, scanned the deck for anyone left standing. He saw Nami, crumpled against the door to the womens’ cabin. Brook, folded in half precariously over the railing. Franky, Robin and Sanji all piled atop one another. Chopper slumped against the mast, slowly deflating out of Guard Point -- and Zoro, flat on his back in a pool of his own blood, Riser standing over him.

The bounty hunter was talking, but Usopp didn’t hear a word. The rest of the hunters were unconscious, their bodies littering the deck, and Riser’s back was to him. He was up on his elbows now, mind racing, looking for a way out. Riser’s body had transformed. The Dial armor covered his body like chitin, deep spiraling grooves running through his skin. Up his arms, over his back, even his head -- Usopp shuddered. What was he going to _do?_

Then he saw it. Tiny, barely the size of a coin, but there on the back of Riser’s neck, right at the base of his skull: a patch of unblemished skin. It was a small target, but Usopp had hit smaller from farther away. But he didn’t have his slingshot -- he looked around.

Just to his right, as if placed there by an invisible hand, was a pistol.

Usopp looked up. Riser’s foot was on Zoro’s chest. _Think, think._ Black Kabuto had to be somewhere, but -- there was no time. He had no choice. Usopp felt his stomach flip as he reached out and grasped the handle of the pistol. Riser was drawing back his foot, hovering above Zoro’s throat, and Usopp felt his stomach rise into his throat, and he raised his arm, and --

In one quick, smooth motion, he hurled the pistol, sending it end over end through the air until the butt of it smacked Riser square in the back of the head. He stumbled forward from the impact, fell forwards, and hit the deck hard. Usopp blinked. Then, cautiously, he punched the air, and then he laughed and got to his feet and screamed as Riser pushed himself up into a kneeling position.

Usopp scrambled back, dropping to the deck as Riser stood and turned. It was too late to play dead, Usopp realized, and as he watched the color leeched from Riser’s skin, the patterns crawling over his face and chest to concentrate in his right arm. It swelled and darked, and Riser raised it towards Usopp with murder in his eyes.

“I was saving this for your captain,” he said. “But I’ll settle for you. Dial-Dial: Infinite Reje--”

There was a twang, like a rubber band fired into the air. Riser turned. Standing on the deck less than a foot away, shirt torn and burnt, blood streaking his face, was Monkey D. Luffy.

“Usopp.” Usopp looked to his captain, past the Dial man standing between them, and almost sobbed with relief. “Sorry. You guys drifted away, and their ship was broken, so I had to--”

“You,” snarled Riser. “I will take your head, Monkey! Take this! Dial-Dial--”

Luffy’s fist slammed into his jaw, and Riser fell to the deck again. This time, he didn’t get up.

* * *

_“Ow!”_ Usopp jumped in alarm, and looked up. Franky was standing over him, arms raised in a powerfully super dance pose. He sighed, trying to force himself to relax.

“Franky. Hey. What’s up?”

“Just came in to check on you, bro,” Franky said. “Sanji’s up and kicking -- uh, well -- up and _walking,_ and he’s starting on dinner soon!” He flashed Usopp a smile. Usopp didn’t return it.

“Thanks, Franky. I’ll be right down.”

Usopp sat in the library for a few minutes more, trying to settle his stomach. Before long, though, he gave up, and headed down to the galley.

“Usopp!” Chopper was the first one to greet him, looking up at Usopp with a brilliant smile. “Are you doing okay? Still feel fine?” Usopp’s hand reflexively went to his face, where a bandage covered the cut on his cheek: somehow, the only wound he’d taken in the entire battle. He snatched his hand away guiltily and nodded.

“Yup! Doing great!”

“Your back isn’t hurting you, is it?” Chopper’s brow wrinkled in concern.

“Nope! Just fine!”

“Oh, thank goodness -- Zoro! No!” Chopper turned away, growing into his human form as he reached out to take hold of Zoro, who was absentmindedly tugging at his bandages. With a sigh of relief, Usopp took a seat at the table.

He looked around at the crew. They were trading stories from the battle. Just then, Nami was describing how the woman she had fought nearly electrocuted herself trying to use the Clima-Tact. “I should have let her keep going,” Nami said dismissively.

“Honestly, she probably would have knocked herself out.” Usopp laughed along with the rest of the crew, but couldn’t help looking at Nami’s right leg, bandaged from ankle to knee.

As he looked around the table, he noticed the sheer amount of work Chopper had done evident on every body present. Sanji was leaning on a crutch while he stirred the pot, gingerly testing his left leg every so often. Robin was listening attentively to Brook, conspicuously keeping her hands slack in her lap so as not to disturb the heavy bandaging on her arms. Franky was wearing his sunglasses, but Usopp noticed a slight slackness under his left eye and realized it wasn’t there at all -- something he recognized from the time or two he’d had to help Franky recalibrate his vision. Even Luffy had taken a beating dealing with the crew of the bounty hunters’ ship, and Zoro had come off worst of all, his skin barely visible below his neck. Usopp’s fingers twitched, and he resisted the urge to once again touch the single lonely bandage on his own face.

“All right,” said Sanji, snapping Usopp from his thoughts. “Soup’s up in fifteen.”

“Soup?’ Luffy said plaintively. Sanji shot him a look that shut him up (just barely, judging by his crestfallen face) and leaned against the bar separating the kitchen and the table.

“So,” he said, looking around the room. “What happened after I went down?”

Usopp waited expectantly in the silence that opened up, and only realized after a few seconds that Sanji was looking at him. No, strike that, everyone was looking at him. Even Luffy had shaken free of his soup-filled melancholy to stare inquisitively at Usopp. He swallowed nervously. What _had_ happened?

_Well, Sanji,_ Usopp thought, _I stood on the deck away from the fighting, threw one guy overboard, then totally miscalculated and almost got Zoro killed. Oh, and I’m fine, thanks for asking._ But his instincts kicked in, and what he _said_ was:

“Oh, you know. The bounty hunters were after me, obviously, so I cleverly evaded them, but then the captain pulled out a crazy special move and took down Zoro, so I had to step in and…” He trailed off. “And… I stepped in to…” _Save him,_ supplied his brain. _Don't stop bullshitting now._ But he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Sanji chuckled and nodded, not unkindly, and turned away. “Okay,” he said, “so what actually happened? Anyone? Robin?” Usopp’s gaze dropped, his stomach twisting again. Maybe, if he was very quiet, no one would notice if he just slipped out the door.

“Of course, Sanji,” Robin said. “But I’m not sure what else I could say. Usopp gave more or less the whole story.” She smiled. “Aside from the bounty hunters targeting him specifically. But perhaps they did have a grudge against him. Otherwise, that was all correct. He hung back, their captain rendered most of us unconscious, and Usopp stopped him from killing Zoro before Luffy returned.”

Usopp just stared, slack-jawed. Robin, apparently not noticing, turned to Zoro. “Would you agree?”

Zoro looked at Usopp for a moment. “You throw that gun?” Usopp, wordless, nodded. Zoro shrugged. “Then yeah, that’s all true.” He turned his head to Sanji. “Got that, cook? I thought that asshole broke your leg, not your eardrums. Or are you just too stupid to listen?”

Chopper threw himself between Zoro and Sanji, trying to restrain them both at once, while Luffy cheered them on. The rest of the crew’s attention followed, and Usopp sank into his chair, staring at the table -- only to be surprised when Robin leaned in, speaking softly so only he could hear.

“That was very smart,” she said.

“Yes,” agreed Usopp, having absolutely no idea what she meant.

“The gun,” she said, and Usopp froze, thinking back to exactly what he had done. Oh, god…

“I was following the hunter who dropped it, and I saw them fire without reloading,” she continued. “Were you watching them as well, or did you know it was empty just from picking it up?” She shrugged. “Either way, it was an impressive throw. Well done, Usopp.” And then she leaned away, turning to the spectacle with an impenetrable smile.

Usopp blinked. The gun was empty. Right. He had known that.

Right?

Well, he thought as Chopper burst into Guard Point, forcing Sanji and Zoro apart as the kitchen filled with fur, maybe it didn’t matter. It had all worked out in the end anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> The original idea for this fic was "What if Usopp was forced to use a gun?" And the answer I came up with was a lot funnier and more interesting than I expected. So I wrote this. If you liked it let me know and if you hated it also let me know! This is my first time writing One Piece fanfiction (and I guess my second time writing any fanfiction, really) so feedback is fun. If you want to see more stuff I've done you can check out my tumblr (theverybestpencilsoftuscaloosa). Thanks for reading!


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